Environmental groups disagree on New Jersey logging bill

Tuesday

Dec 27, 2011 at 12:01 AM

David Levinsky @davidlevinsky

Legislation to open some state forests to commercial logging appears to have divided New Jersey’s vocal environmental lobbyists, who disagree on whether the legislation would help or hurt the state’s green open spaces.

The proposal sponsored by state Sen. Bob Smith, D-17th of Piscataway, and Assemblyman John McKeon, D-27th of West Orange, directs the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to develop a forest management program for state lands that would permit trees to be cut down and sold as timber and other products.

The legislation excludes lands within the 1- million-acre Pinelands Reserve.

The revenue generated from timber sales would be used to cover the costs of the program. Any additional money would be given to the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust to be used for forest restoration and stewardship.

The legislation has been voted out of both the Senate and Assembly committees this month. It could be posted for votes by the full Senate and Assembly on Jan. 9.

Supporters say that state forests have long been neglected and that harvesting some trees will improve forests’ overall health.

About 38 percent of New Jersey’s 1.8 million acres of forest is owned by the state.

“It’s hard for the public to get their arms around the idea that cutting down some trees is good, but these forests need and thrive on some disturbance,” said Doug Tavella of the New Jersey division of the Society of American Foresters.

Opponents such as the New Jersey Sierra Club and New Jersey Conservation Foundation fear that opening state forests to logging could result in the loss of public access.

They also say the legislation does not require strict monitoring to ensure that endangered plants and animal species aren’t threatened by logging activities and that appropriate steps are taken to make sure disturbed areas are properly restored.

“If you go to the doctor with a pain in your chest, you don’t expect your leg to be amputated. That’s how this bill treats restoration issues facing our forests,” Emile DeVito, manager of sciences for the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, said Wednesday during a conference call with other opponents. “Overabundant deer and alien plants, animals and pathogens threaten our forests. Logging makes these problems worse.”

“We believe public lands belong to all of us, and they need to be managed in a way that furthers the public’s trust, not undermine it,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Although the legislation excludes the Pinelands, representatives from the Pinelands Preservation Alliance also participated in the conference and called for the bill to be scrapped.

They noted that another bill sponsored by McKeon and Smith would direct the New Jersey Pinelands Commission to develop a similar program for the preserve.

“That bill is still out there. It’s a step behind, but we’re obviously concerned that the Pinelands could become the next step,” said Jaclyn Rhoads, director of conservation policy for the alliance.

The alliance does not rule out logging in some forest locations, but areas where timber is harvested need to be carefully selected based on the available science rather than the value of certain trees as timber, Rhoads said.

Some species of pine trees rely on intense heat from forest fires to regenerate, so logging alone would not be an effective management tool, she said.

“We want any bill based on sound science and not let the economics drive the decision making,” Rhoads said. “There is a way to tie the two together, but this bill is out of balance.”

Not all environmental and conservation groups agree with Rhoads’ assessment. Some groups, such as the New Jersey Audubon, support the bill, contending that the DEP already contracts with commercial lumberjacks and foresters and that the legislation would not usurp the agency’s oversight.

“Stewardship will be front and center. ... The DEP will still be driving the bus, just as it is today,” said Eric Stiles, the Audubon’s chief operating officer and vice president for conservation and stewardship.

Stiles pointed to the Audubon’s use of a forester to thin a large portion of its property in Ocean County to improve and restore habitats for endangered birds, snakes and plants. He said the only way to make the work economical was to permit the forester to sell some of the cleared wood as mulch.

“The economics is simply a means to the end, which is creating a healthier forest,” Stiles said.

McKeon and Tavella said the legislation’s goal was to better manage the state forests, not exploit them for money.

“This bill is about enhancing and sustaining forest health,” Tavella said. “Yes, there are products that would be extracted by these activities. That’s not a bad thing, especially since the money generated can be used to sustain the program so it’s not just a burden on the taxpayer. But the goal is not simply to cut down trees for economic reasons.”

David Levinsky: 609-871-8154;

email: dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com;

twitter: @davidlevinsky

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